Solutions that don’t break the bank, reinvent the wheel or marginalize our teachers are within our grasp. We could have rigorous classes, safe and disciplined schools and treat teachers like valued colleagues rather than easily replaceable cogs, and we could do so tomorrow if we wanted. Disclaimer, this is an opinion and commentary site and should not be confused as a news site. Also know that quite often people may disagree with the opinions posted.

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Saturday, June 4, 2016

Lori Hershey, candidate for school board District 7

Hi, I’m Lori Hershey candidate for school
board district 7. As a Jacksonville
Native I am so ready for our city to have a school district we can believe in. Many
of the issues that hinder our schools are mandates that are handed down from
D.C. and Tallahassee and that is why I support more local control of our
schools. While school boards do not currently set the standards for our schools
we do choose the curriculum and Engage New York is developmentally
inappropriate. Our curriculum should inspire learning and not stifle it. It
should allow educators to educate and not be restricted to script. Our
curriculum needs to provide students with the skill set for higher critical
thinking and not just harder thinking.

Our school district is a district of
school choice. As a mother of four I have lived it and I recognize the value of
being able to select the right school at the right time for our students.
However, we must not offer choice simply for the sake of choice. Instead we
need to be certain that we provide options in education that prepare students
for college and/or for the work force upon graduation. Therefore students from
all our career academies need to graduate with the necessary certification to
pursue their respective career path.

We must keep our schools safe and secure.
Have you noticed how many incidences have been reported in the news? I served
on the Duval County School Safety and Security Advisory Committee and I
recognize the importance of ensuring our campuses are safe. However, our
classrooms must also be environments that are conducive to learning. Proper policies and procedures must be in
place to restore teacher authority to the classroom and to shut down disruptive
behavior. We need leadership willing to stand behind the policies that are
written.

The Duval County School Board has a budget
of over one billion dollars. We must cut bureaucratic waste and direct more
dollars to the classroom. If we want to
ensure that we retain the best teachers and recruit the most qualified teachers
then we must also address the fact that Duval County ranks 98th out
of the country’s 113 larger school districts regarding teacher pay.

We have policies in place that need to be
revisited and revised. We have to allow educators to educate and improve
teacher morale. We live in a great city and Jacksonville deserves a school
system that it can be proud of and more importantly one we can believe in.
Let’s move education forward in Jacksonville. Please visit my website: www.votelorihershey.com or contact me via
email: lori@votelorihershey.com

I
look forward to hearing from you and I ask you today for your vote on August 30th.